The Sims 2 Pets Review

The latest chapter in the Sims franchises adds Rex and Cleo.

Now, for all you new people, this will feel like a very worthwhile Sims package. Not only do you get all the features from previous Sims console games, but also score the pet's package. Speaking of, here's what you get with that: each pet acts like a Sim human, meaning they have wants and needs. You can't control them, however; all you do is influence their behavior through instruction, praise or discipline. Actually having pets in the household is fun since they come with well-animated and funny actions. They sing, play dead and look a whole lot like Scooby Doo while they're doing it. At the same time, it's just like real life - you need to spend time cleaning after them and making sure their needs are met.

This makes the game a little more difficult than before, if you decide to control every character. You do have the option to run everyone on autopilot, but what's the fun in that? Still, say you decide to let the game run all the humans - they won't pay any attention to the animals save mop up their piss. This means your pets will ultimately get depressed and sleep all day in their own messes with flies buzzing around everywhere. Moral of the story is that pets can be fun, even virtual pets, but you need to make time for them or they'll turn into furry furniture before your eyes.

One of the cooler aspects of Sims 2 Pets lets you take your furry critters into a quaint town square. Here, you can mingle with other pet owners and let your pets socialize with other animals. What's more, you can visit a number of different pet-oriented stores. There's a bakery and accessory store, for instance. But you can't spend simolians, which you earn by sending your human Sims to work in one of ten careers. Instead, you earn pet points by completing animal-centric activities back at home. However, if you don't have enough pet points and still want to buy that igloo dog house, you can head to the local ATM and convert simolians to pet cash. The more your visit a particular store, the bigger it gets, and the more stuff you can buy.

The Verdict

The Sims 2 Pets improves upon its console predecessors in every way
imaginable. The formula is definitely getting old, though, so long time
fans will have limited interest. As far as newcomers go, there's plenty to
see and do. The addition of pets, not to mention enhancements to the
interface and overall performance, makes the Sims 2 Pets a worthwhile
investment in terms of time and money.